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Each of the guitar coaches at American Guitar Academy are certified in the school’s signature teaching method. Developed over 25 years, this house-honed instruction technique incorporates scientific research to help fingers learn to shred frets up to eight times faster than alternative methods. During private half-hour lessons, instructors guide budding rock stars aged 4 years and up through the basics of strumming chords and seamlessly stitching together riffs. These comprehensive lessons on classical, electric, or acoustic guitars are offered once a week with a live instructor or online and guarantee that students will be playing their favorite music within six months of training. Students may begin lessons without owning a guitar, but are encouraged to gain access to one quickly for mastering scales and the ability to solo with their teeth.

Each of the guitar coaches at American Guitar Academy are certified in the school's signature teaching method. Developed over 25 years, this house-honed instruction technique incorporates scientific research to help fingers learn to shred frets up to eight times faster than alternative methods. During private half-hour lessons, instructors guide budding rock stars aged 4 years and up through the basics of strumming chords and seamlessly stitching together riffs. These comprehensive lessons on classical, electric, or acoustic guitars are offered once a week with a live instructor or online and guarantee that students will be playing their favorite music within six months of training. Students may begin lessons without owning a guitar, but are encouraged to gain access to one quickly for mastering scales and the ability to solo with their teeth.

Owner Mike Urquhart takes his business's name to heart: the learning center draws on the talents of three generations of Urquharts, from his business-manager father all the way down to his grade-school-aged daughter Julia, who assists with piano lessons and administration. Signs bearing messages such as "No practicing: only play for fun" and "Mistakes are always welcome" embody the teachers' philosophy that no amount of technical skill can substitute for the sheer joy of playing, singing, and finally figuring out how to snap the fingers on both hands at once. The school's specialty group classes—some held in the new, 2,500-square-foot piano learning center—foster self-confidence with weekly performance opportunities, and the curriculum of songs can include anything from classical compositions to classical rock.

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title: Sound & Rhythm Drumming Studio
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html_text: Clifford Koufman’s fascination with drums of all kind has taken him around the world in search of guidance from renowned musicians by the likes of Arabic master drummer Souhail Kaspar, Guinean Grandmaster Famoudou Konate, and American jazz icon Bob Moses. Koufman has used his refined drumming powers and extensive musical experience for good as a therapeutic music specialist who has visited several Portland-area children’s hospitals and as the founder of Sound & Rhythm Drumming Studio. There, since 1999 he has specialized in teaching one-on-one and group West African drum lessons on authentic djembes and dununs, demystifying concepts such as beat displacement and polyrhythms for his hand-drumming protégés. Students can also bring drumsticks and learn to tame a standard drum kit, learning the music theory and time-keeping techniques needed to perfectly execute Rachmaninoff’s little-known triangle solos.

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title: Ryan Meagher
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html_text: Fresh off a hit debut album—which saw airplay in the US and 11 other countries—and a recent sophomore album, Ryan Meagher (pronounced “Marr”) is making serious waves in the jazz community. Lauded by publications such as JazzTimes and Cadence Magazine, Meagher fills his compositions with traditionally jazzy melodies and contemporary rock influences. He honed his chops with a music scholarship to San Diego State University, as well as by playing with legendary jazz musicians such as Wynton Marsalis. He proceeded to earn a Master of Music from the University of Nevada–Reno, and now splits his time between the East and West Coasts where he teaches and focuses on creating what he describes as “jazz music for the indie rocker.”

For nearly 20 years, guitarist Kenny Lavitz has masterfully blended jazz, rock, and blues into his own distinct sound. When he's not recording critically acclaimed LPs or performing solo and group gigs, he nurtures budding guitarists during one-on-one lessons. Kenny trains beginners in rudimentary techniques, such as strumming basic chord progressions and mastering simple riffs. From there, he helps students refine more complex skills, such as sweep-picking, where you replace your strumming hand with a broom. Besides helping pupils conquer the fretboard, Kenny teaches them to read and transcribe notation, as well as play with fellow musicians during jams with Kenny's other students.